YEAR 3, WEEK 1, Day 5, Friday, 26 January 2026

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Observations from today’s readings and today’s S-WOD, Friday, 26 January 2026:

Ezra 5:1 — Now the prophets, Haggai and Zechariah the son of Iddo, prophesied to the Jews who were in Judah and Jerusalem, in the name of the God of Israel who was over them.

“From the recorded writings of Haggai and Zechariah, it appears that the difficulties experienced and the many obstacles thrown in the way had first cooled the zeal of the Jews in the building of the temple, and then led to an abandonment of the work, under a pretended belief that the time for rebuilding it had not yet come ( Haggai 1:2-11 ). For fifteen years the work was completely suspended. These two prophets upbraided them with severe reproaches for their sloth, negligence, and worldly selfishness ( Haggai 1:4), threatened them with severe judgments if they continued backward, and promised that they would be blessed with great national prosperity if they resumed and prosecuted the work with alacrity and vigor.” (Jamieson, Fausset & Brown)

• Haggai 1:2-11 – “Thus says the Lord of hosts: These people say the time has not yet come to rebuild the house of the Lord.” Then the word of the Lord came by the hand of Haggai the prophet, “Is it a time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, while this house lies in ruins? Now, therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts: Consider your ways. You have sown much, and harvested little. You eat, but you never have enough; you drink, but you never have your fill. You clothe yourselves, but no one is warm. And he who earns wages does so to put them into a bag with holes. “Thus says the Lord of hosts: Consider your ways. Go up to the hills and bring wood and build the house, that I may take pleasure in it and that I may be glorified, says the Lord. You looked for much, and behold, it came to little. And when you brought it home, I blew it away. Why? declares the Lord of hosts. Because of my house that lies in ruins, while each of you busies himself with his own house. Therefore the heavens above you have withheld the dew, and the earth has withheld its produce. And I have called for a drought on the land and the hills, on the grain, the new wine, the oil, on what the ground brings forth, on man and beast, and on all their labors.”

Ezra 5:1 marks a decisive moment of grace-driven interruption. For nearly fifteen years, the work of rebuilding the temple had stalled. Opposition from the outside had gradually cooled zeal on the inside, until fear, discouragement, and self-interest quietly replaced obedience. What began as resistance became rationalization. The people convinced themselves that “the time has not yet come” to rebuild the house of the Lord, interpreting obstacles as evidence of God’s timing rather than as a test of faithfulness. In reality, hardship had not revealed God’s will to stop; it had exposed the people’s drift toward comfort, convenience, and misplaced priorities.

The prophets Haggai and Zechariah are sent not merely to restart a construction project, but to awaken hearts. Haggai confronts the core issue with piercing clarity: while God’s house lay in ruins, the people were investing heavily in their own comfort, security, and pursuits. Their lives were busy, but barren. They sowed much and reaped little. They earned wages only to watch them disappear. Procrastination had not only stalled worship; it had diminished the quality of their entire lives. This reveals a sobering truth: delayed obedience does not create neutral space—it quietly erodes joy, fruitfulness, and spiritual vitality.

The people justified their delay in familiar ways. The work was hard. The opposition was real. The cost was high. The payoff felt distant. So they stayed busy with easier, safer tasks, mistaking activity for faithfulness. But being busy is not the same as being obedient, and full calendars do not excuse empty altars. God, in His grace, exposes this self-deception not to shame them, but to restore them. “Consider your ways,” He says. The problem was never God’s unwillingness to bless; it was the people’s unwillingness to prioritize Him.

Yet this passage is not about condemnation; it is about mercy. God does not abandon His people to their excuses. He sends prophets. He speaks again. And He speaks “in the name of the God of Israel who was over them,” reminding them that He has not relinquished authority, presence, or purpose. In Christ, this same grace continues. God reveals our misplaced priorities not to crush us, but to free us. His Spirit convicts not to condemn, but to transform. Grace is not permission to remain stagnant; it is power to move forward. Grace is not opposed to effort — only to earning.

Ezra 5:1 calls every believer to honest self-examination. Where have obstacles become excuses? Where has delay disguised itself as discernment? Where has busyness replaced obedience? God will do many things for us, but He will not reorder our priorities for us. That responsibility is ours. The call still stands: consider your ways… and build the house. Not merely with hands, but with hearts aligned to God’s purposes, trusting that obedience—though costly—always leads to life. How is God convicting you right now through His word and the counsel of His Spirit as you begin this new year?

• Ephesians 5:15-17 — Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.
• Proverbs 20:4 — The sluggard does not plow in the autumn; he will seek at harvest and have nothing.
• Proverbs 27:1 — Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring.
• James 4:17 — So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.
• Luke 9:59-62 — To another he said, “Follow me.” But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” And Jesus said to him, “Leave the dead to bury their own dead. But as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” Yet another said, “I will follow you, Lord, but let me first say farewell to those at my home.” Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”
• Philippians 4:13 — I can do all things through him who strengthens me.
• Hebrews 12:11 — For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.
• Proverbs 14:23 — In all toil there is profit, but mere talk tends only to poverty.
• Galatians 6:9 — And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.
• Hebrews 12:1; Proverbs 12:25; 1 Peter 5:7; Matthew 11:28-30 — Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us (Heb 12:1)…. Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs him down…. (Pro 12:25) …casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. (1 Pet 5:7) … “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Matt 11:28-30)

Ezra 5:2 — Then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and Jeshua the son of Jozadak arose and began to rebuild the house of God that is in Jerusalem, and the prophets of God were with them, supporting them.

True repentance produces action. Zerubbabel and Jeshua do not merely feel inspired; they rise and rebuild. Obedience resumes immediately once God’s word is received. Notice the order: God speaks, leaders respond, and then God’s prophets remain with them, also working. God does not abandon His people once they obey; He strengthens them in the work. Courage is not the absence of opposition, but obedience in spite of it. The rebuilding resumes not because circumstances changed, but because allegiance did. The only good time to do something important is when God says it’s a good time to do it, and His timing usually won’t be aligned with your sense of timing – “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:8-9) Only revelation, faith, and obedience will take you past who you are and where you are to who God would have you be and do. Change doesn’t depend on circumstances, it depends on character.

Ezra 5:3 — At the same time Tattenai the governor of the province Beyond the River and Shethar-bozenai and their associates came to them and spoke to them thus: “Who gave you a decree to build this house and to finish this structure?”

Opposition resurfaces immediately. Faithful obedience often provokes renewed scrutiny. The question is framed as an interrogation of authority. The enemies of God’s work rarely attack openly at first; they challenge legitimacy. Who authorized you? Who gave you permission? This pressure is designed to intimidate and stall momentum. Yet God’s people are no longer paralyzed. They have been anchored by God’s word, not human approval. How about you?

• Matthew 21:23 — And when he entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came up to him as he was teaching, and said, “By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?”

Ezra 5:4 — They also asked them this: “What are the names of the men who are building this building?”

This is an attempt to personalize intimidation. Naming builders implies accountability, threat, and potential consequence. The opposition wants faces, not just facts. But obedience rooted in God’s calling does not retreat under inspection. When God’s work is rightly ordered, transparency is not a threat. Faith does not hide when it is grounded in truth.

Ezra 5:5 — But the eye of their God was on the elders of the Jews, and they did not stop them until the matter should reach Darius and then an answer be returned by letter concerning it.

This is one of the most comforting verses in Ezra. The eye of God rests on His people. Oversight from heaven outranks oversight from empire. God does not immediately silence the opposition; instead, He restrains its power. The work continues while the process unfolds. Obedience does not require the absence of questions, only the presence of God’s watchful care. God is not anxious about bureaucratic delays or legal processes. He governs them.

“The eye of their God upon them was better than fortune, and the integrity of the leaders evidently showed through well enough to make any immediate action other than a report seem called for.” (Kidner) Due to the slow postal system, the work likely continued for quite awhile – God’s provision through circumstances which most people would experience without thanksgiving. Do you see how God is working in your circumstances for His greater good?

Ezra 5:6-7 — This is a copy of the letter that Tattenai the governor of the province Beyond the River and Shethar-bozenai and his associates, the governors who were in the province Beyond the River, sent to Darius the king. They sent him a report, in which was written as follows: “To Darius the king, all peace.”

Even opposition is ultimately forced to testify truthfully. The tone is formal and restrained. God often uses official channels to accomplish His purposes, even when those channels are initiated by adversaries. The machinery of empire becomes an unwitting servant of divine providence.

Ezra 5:8 — Be it known to the king that we went to the province of Judah, to the house of the great God. It is being built with huge stones, and timber is laid in the walls. This work goes on diligently and prospers in their hands.

Remarkably, the enemies describe the God of Israel accurately: the great God. They cannot deny the quality, seriousness, or effectiveness of the work. Obedience produces visible fruit. God’s work is not sloppy or half-hearted. Diligence honors God and silences many accusations. Prosperity here is not financial excess, but forward momentum under God’s blessing.

God’s people worked with great diligence in order to make rapid progress. How hard are you working to advance the Kingdom?
Ezra 5:9-10 — Then we asked those elders and spoke to them thus: “Who gave you a decree to build this house and to finish this structure?” We also asked them their names, for your information, that we might write down the names of their leaders.

The repetition underscores the pressure, but also the calm consistency of the builders. They do not panic, retaliate, or withdraw. They remain steady, anchored in obedience rather than outcome. When God’s people are confident in their calling, they can endure examination without fear.

Ezra 5:11 — And this was their reply to us: “We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth, and we are rebuilding the house that was built many years ago, which a great king of Israel built and finished.”

This is a declaration of identity before explanation. We are servants of the God of heaven and earth. Their allegiance is clear and public. They frame their work within God’s redemptive history, not personal ambition. Obedience is not innovation; it is restoration. They are not inventing something new, but reclaiming what God established long ago.

God’s people used challenges against them as opportunities to witness, and they did not back down. Their justification and defense always started with the authority of God over man.
Ezra 5:12 — But because our fathers had angered the God of heaven, he gave them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, the Chaldean, who destroyed this house and carried away the people to Babylonia.

True repentance includes honest confession. They do not blame Babylon, politics, or circumstance. They acknowledge covenant failure. Restoration is built on truth, not denial. God’s discipline is recognized as righteous, not arbitrary. This humility distinguishes repentance from mere reconstruction.

Ezra 5:13 — However, in the first year of Cyrus king of Babylon, Cyrus the king made a decree that this house of God should be rebuilt.

God’s sovereignty extends over pagan kings. Cyrus is not portrayed as spiritually enlightened, but as an instrument of God’s will. Restoration is not self-generated; it is divinely authorized. God initiates return long before His people feel ready. Grace precedes effort.

Ezra 5:14 — And the gold and silver vessels of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the temple that was in Jerusalem and brought into the temple of Babylon, these Cyrus the king took out of the temple of Babylon, and they were delivered to one whose name was Sheshbazzar, whom he had made governor;

What God consecrates, He eventually reclaims. Sacred things misused by empires are not lost forever. God restores what was stolen, though often through long and humbling paths. This reminds us that exile does not erase calling, and delay does not nullify promise.

Ezra 5:15 — And he said to him, “Take these vessels, go and put them in the temple that is in Jerusalem, and let the house of God be rebuilt on its site.”

God restores worship intentionally. The vessels return before the building is finished, signaling that God’s presence, not architectural completion, is central. God’s command is clear and purposeful. Restoration follows God’s design, not human improvisation.

Ezra 5:16 — Then this Sheshbazzar came and laid the foundations of the house of God that is in Jerusalem, and from that time until now it has been in building, and it is not yet finished.

This verse captures the tension of restoration. Obedience can be sincere and incomplete at the same time. God honors beginnings even when progress is slow. The work is unfinished, but not abandoned. God measures faithfulness, not speed.

Ezra 5:17 — Therefore, if it seems good to the king, let search be made in the royal archives there in Babylon, to see whether a decree was issued by Cyrus the king for the rebuilding of this house of God in Jerusalem. And let the king send us his pleasure in this matter.

The chapter ends not with conflict, but with appeal to truth. God’s people invite investigation because their obedience rests on reality, not rebellion. What began as intimidation becomes an opportunity for vindication. When God is over the work, truth will surface in time.

“Cross” Fit S-WOD (Spiritual Workout of the Day) – 26 January 2026: Obey promptly where fear once stalled you. Identify one area where obedience has been delayed due to pressure, fatigue, or opposition. Resume the work God assigned you, trusting that His eye is upon you and His word still stands.

Pray: “Father, thank You that Your eye rests on Your people. Give me courage to obey even when questions remain and pressure rises. Anchor my identity in being Your servant above all else. Strengthen me through Your word, steady me through Your presence, and help me rebuild what obedience requires. I trust that what You authorize, You will sustain. Amen.”